The Amazon Fresh grocery store at 12263 Prosperity Drive in White Oak will permanently close this Sunday, February 1, 2026. Amazon is closing all of its Amazon Fresh and Go grocery stores across the country, as a very expensive experiment with Amazon-branded physical grocery stores by the retail giant concludes. In Montgomery County, that means the losses of Amazon Fresh stores at Chevy Chase Lake, Friendship Heights, Shady Grove Road on the border of Rockville and Gaithersburg, and White Oak. It's an especially raw deal for all involved at the Chevy Chase locations, as residents of Chevy Chase Lake had expected to have an on-site grocery store, Friendship Heights residents will now have only the hipster house brands of Trader Joe's and Whole Foods Market as full-size supermarkets within walking distance, and the Chevy Chase Land Company was counting on both to anchor their respective developments of Chevy Chase Lake and the Collection at Chevy Chase.
Montgomery County Councilmembers Will Jawando (D - At-Large) and Kristin Mink (D - District 5) have introduced two bills aimed at curbing the impact of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) within the county. Flanked by community members, educators, and fellow lawmakers at a joint press conference, they vowed that Montgomery County will not be a silent partner in federal immigration enforcement that relies on "fear, intimidation, or abuse." Mink has directly engaged ICE officers in Maryland, posting video of her encounters that earned TV news coverage.
The County Values Act (Bill 3-26), led by Councilmember Mink, focuses on restricting ICE's access to and use of county-controlled properties. Key provisions include:
Mink's bill is cosponsored by Councilmembers Kate Stewart (District 4), Will Jawando, Shebra Evans (At-Large), Andrew Friedson (District 1), Laurie-Anne Sayles (At-Large), Evan Glass (At-Large), and Marilyn Balcombe (District 2). "We cannot make ICE agents operate lawfully, but what we can do is employ the strongest possible protocols at every facility the County owns or operates,” Mink said.
Complementing this effort is the Unmask ICE Act (Bill 5-26), sponsored by Councilmember Jawando. It prohibits masking or facial coverings by all law enforcement officers operating in Montgomery County—including federal agents like ICE—with limited exceptions for public health reasons or specific operational necessities. The goal is to ensure transparency and build trust by allowing residents to clearly identify officers. Cosponsors include Councilmembers Mink, Evans, Stewart, Sayles, and Glass.
Jawando, who is running for County Executive, cast masked law enforcement officials as a horror of America's past. "Throughout history, masks have been used in American law enforcement to shield the wearer from accountability, and used for terror, impunity, and anonymity for violence," he said. "We are seeing that play out again before our eyes, and we cannot accept that as our new reality. As our local law enforcement recognizes, safety requires trust, and trust requires transparency. Our community is calling on us to do more, and we must listen, work together, and move forward with courage to protect our community."
Councilmembers sought to make the human cost of ICE enforcement actions the focal point of a joint press conference held after the bill introductions.
Orchid Dargahi, a teacher at Newport Mill Middle School who had a family member arrested by ICE, described the "trauma" rippling through her school: "Before I can do anything else in my classroom, I need to make sure my students feel safe. But I field questions like, ‘Can ICE just come into school?’ before teaching kids how to write an essay for or against zoos."
Gaby Rivera of the Montgomery County Immigrant Rights Collective (MoCo IRC) shared the story of a 19-year-old forced to raise his younger siblings after both parents were detained. Rivera urged the Council to pass these bills alongside the previously introduced Trust Act, arguing that together, they send a clear message that the County refuses to be complicit in "fear, intimidation, or abuse."
Kako Claw claims every machine gives you a fair chance to win. Look for Kako Claw on Level 2 of the mall, across from Classic Diamond & Jewelry. And the fun has just begun. A larger arcade and bowling alley entertainment center will be opening at the mall later this year, as I reported last month. Round1 Bowling & Arcade will be down on Level 1.
Sinners, one of the biggest blockbuster movies of 2025, just set a new record in 2026 for the most Oscar nominations of all time. While an anticipated nomination haul had already spurred a return to the big screen for the vampire flick, AMC Theatres has sweetened the even-better-than-fans-expected 16 nominations celebration with a very limited-edition Sinners guitar case popcorn bucket. So limited-edition, that the chain has currently removed the collectible from its website, where some lucky fans have successfully scored one when it has intermittently appeared in the online store.
That leaves buying one the old-fashioned way as your best bet. But the guitar case is not available at every AMC cineplex. Fortunately for Montgomery County moviegoers, two AMC locations here are on the list: AMC Montgomery 16 at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda, and AMC Dine-in Rio Cinemas 18 at Rio Lakefront in Gaithersburg. If they sell out there, or if it's more convenient for you, the bucket is also available at the AMC Columbia 14 in Howard County, the AMC Georgetown 14 in Washington, D.C., and the AMC Tysons Corner 16.
You may want to call ahead to confirm they still have some in stock. Tonight's showing of Sinners is already sold-out at AMC Montgomery 16. You don't have to see the movie to buy the popcorn bucket, though. Tomorrow is likely to be a no-go due to the expected impact of the winter storm that is hitting the area tonight, but tickets are still being sold for Sunday's screening as of this writing.
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Several days of media coverage of the snow storm expected to arrive Saturday night in the Washington, D.C. area has inspired a run on essential items at local grocery stores. Empty shelves were visible in some aisles at Harris Teeter in downtown Bethesda last night. Products being snapped up include the old stalwarts of milk, toilet paper, and paper towels.
Shoppers are dutifully following new health advice from Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and are buying whole milk over the low-fat options. Of course, if power goes out due to ice or falling trees, massive supplies of milk will be of little value. Also going fast under RFK, Jr.'s guidelines: red meat.
Snow totals were expected to top 13" in initial guesses, but the National Weather Service Winter Storm Watch is now talking about 5-10" of snow accumulation. Given the decline of area government resilience in the face of even a few inches of snow this century, 5-10" could paralyze the region for days. Back in the 90s, Metrobus and Ride On kept going on major routes under reduced frequency, and Metro certainly ran on underground segments if not aboveground with more intense snow plowing operations. In recent years, the entire transit system shuts down during moderate to heavy snowstorms, and governments urge residents to "shelter in place." Heckuva job, Brownie!
Incompetence of government means you're on your own until plows and utility crews belatedly reach your neighborhood. Make sure you have plenty of batteries for flashlights and a transistor radio to receive news and weather updates in the event of a power outage. Warm clothes and blankets are essential, as well. Shelf-stable milk will be a lot more useful than those perishable plastic jugs people are hoarding. And fill your gas tank at least halfway.
Input collected from the public at the forum will be considered as the County government formulates new legislation, policies, and regulations regarding data centers. The controversial facilities are considered essential, along with ample energy resources, to the development of artificial intelligence and related economic and job growth. But the lack of jobs provided by the facilities themselves, their heavy energy use and cooling needs, imposing size, and noise pollution have generated strong community opposition. Adding to the increasing focus on data centers has been a vigorous attempt by states to divert attention from the impact of their past moves to shutter power plants and force the purchase of wind and solar power, which along with government fees have jacked up energy bills in Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and elsewhere, by placing the blame on data centers.
"Data centers are part of the modern economy, and we need to have an honest conversation about what they mean for Montgomery County," Elrich said in a statement today. "Data centers can bring investment and jobs, but they also place real demands on our power grid, our water supply, and our land use. I want residents, businesses, and environmental advocates at the table, so we need to get this right. The decisions we make now will affect our climate goals, our neighborhoods, and energy costs for years to come. This forum is about listening first and making sure any policy we adopt reflects the values and priorities of the people who live here."
Montgomery County Council President Fani-González (D-Dist. 6) and Councilmembers Balcombe (D-Dist. 2) and Sayles (D-At-Large) have already proposed a zoning text amendment that would limit data center locations to industrially-zoned sections of the county. At-Large Councilmember Evan Glass (D) has introduced his own bill, which would establish a data center task force, if passed.
Chris Burnett, a Republican running for the 6th Congressional District in Maryland, which includes part of Montgomery County, warned against the Council pursuing a "piecemeal" approach to data center regulation. "Whatever the Councilmembers decide should be aligned to a part of a strategic plan. I offer real leadership strategies instead of knee-jerk reactions and band-aid solutions through my Innovation Corridor plan," Burnett, a retired Marine Corps officer and national security lawyer, said in a statement. "The piecemeal approach being proposed is what got Virginia into the mess it's in, and we appear to be wading into the exact same scenario without any long-term solutions. This shortsighted approach that doesn't align with national security strategies will inevitably lead to short-term gains at the expense of local residents without any opportunity for strategic growth."
Trains magazine, a publication that provides in-depth coverage of the passenger and freight railroad industries, recently used federal transit data to rate America's commuter rail systems. Maryland's MARC commuter rail received a failing F grade, ranking it as one of the nation's worst. In contrast, Virginia Railway Express earned a B.
The magazine noted that MARC service expanded during the 1990s, and that the state made great effort to update train equipment during the gubernatorial terms of William Donald Schaefer and Parris Glendening. This century, the picture has turned far bleaker for Maryland rail commuters.
Trains found MARC ridership dropped 64% between 2018 and 2023. MARC now has the worst cost efficiency, and the poorest mechanical reliability record of any medium size commuter railroad in the country. In other words, Maryland is at rock bottom in commuter rail service. The magazine summed up its analysis of MARC by saying, "it's tough to find a silver lining."
Reporter John Friedmann described the criteria and data utilized in the magazine's survey as follows: Each railroad was graded on the same five criteria. Efficiency was calculated by the operating cost per passenger mile. Utilization, or how much do passengers utilize the network, was measured by the number of passenger miles per route mile. Growth was determined by a comparison of 2018 ridership versus 2023 ridership. Relevance was measured by number of rail trips per area resident. And reliability was rated by the number of mechanical failures per train mile.
All data was compiled from the Federal Transit Administration's National Transit Database.
Not surprisingly, the Long Island Railroad and Metro-North Railroad in New York earned an A grade in the survey. So did commuter systems in Salt Lake City and Denver, railroads that aren't discussed as often as their more famous counterparts like the MBTA, Metra, and SEPTA, all of which scored below the Utah and Colorado lines in this survey - but far higher than our beleagured MARC. Can it get any worse for Maryland? Yes! Beyond a massive structural budget deficit forecast, any Purple Line financial losses will siphon even more money from MARC over the coming decades.
Detectives believe the break-in occurred between 7:00 PM on December 17, and 7:00 AM on December 18. No suspect descriptions have been released. If you have any information about this incident, call police at (301) 279-8000.
